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OpiumHow To Grow Opium PoppiesDisclaimer: Do not use this information to break any laws that may exist in your community. Growing opium poppies as garden flowers is probably legal or tolerated where you live, but growing them to produce your own opium might be illegal. 
Opium is the dried latex produced by the plant known by the botanical name Papaver somniferum, more commonly called the opium poppy. This is an attempt at describing how to grow opium poppies outdoors for their opium content. Many drugs that doctors administer to reduce pain are derived from opium. The word narcotic has several definitions. On this page, the word narcotic is defined as drugs that bind to opioid receptors in the human brain. An analgesic is a drug that relieves pain by altering perception of pain, without anesthesia or loss of consciousness. An opiate is a narcotic analgesic that is either natural (morphine, codeine, opium) or semi-synthetic (heroin, oxycodone, etc). An opioid is a narcotic analgesic that is fully synthetic (methadone, fentanyl, etc). Opioid is also the correct word to refer to the entire family of opium based drugs. That is, all opiates and opioids can collectively be called 'the opioid class of drugs' or simply 'opioids'. In various parts of the world there is no pension system. In some cases, a person must work until they die. People who preform physical jobs sometimes consume opium to ease the pain enough for them to be able to work. Western countries allow pain sufferers to take pain medications like codeine, hydrocodone, oxycodone, morphine, etcetera. These medications can all be obtained or synthesized from the latex produced by the opium poppy. Besides being ingested as a drug to reduce pain, smoking opium that comes from the opium poppy can be an enjoyable spiritual pursuit, when practiced in moderation. Many artists and intellectuals have drawn inspiration from the effects of opium ingestion. Unless directed by a doctor, opium or any pain medication that is derived from opium should not be taken more often than once every four days. If you do some on friday night, wait till tuesday night (or longer) before doing it again. This will minimize the chances of physical addiction and tolerance (needing more to produce the same results) becoming a problem. Be aware that psychological addiction can develop in people with addictive personalities even when opium is consumed less than once every four days. Buy Opium Poppy SeedsTo grow opium poppies, you will first need to buy opium poppy seeds. Papaver somniferum seeds are the only ones you want to cultivate opium poppies. They are legal and available in most countries. Buy them online if you can't find a suitable source where you live. A good supplier of Papaver somniferum seeds can be found here, they ship from the USA to most countries. The majority of people that buy Papaver somniferum seeds They have no intention of harvesting the opium the plants produce. Do not mention opium or drugs when ordering seeds. If for any reason you must talk to a salesperson, refer to opium poppies by their botanical name, Papaver somniferum. Most seed sellers ship from areas where opium is illegal. They will refuse a sale or report the order to police if they think the seeds will be used to produce opium. Even if it is legal for you to grow opium, it is not legal everywhere. Avoid hassles by using discretion. There will be a few hundred seeds in a seed pack (most seed packs are about 1 gram), so one or two will be all you need to get started in a small garden. On a larger scale, expect to need 1 pound (454 grams) of seed per acre of land. You can supply your own seeds by harvesting a few dry seed capsules that were not used to make opium. Seeds you produce yourself can be used to provide the next years crop of opium. A single healthy seed capsule will generate hundreds of seeds. Papaver somniferum seeds will remain viable for 2-5 years when stored under cool, dark, and dry conditions. There are different strains of Papaver somniferum. The main differences being things like optimal growing conditions, harvest time, their capsule size, and the way the flowers look. 'Hen And Chickens' or 'Giganteum' or 'Persian' poppy seed are very good strains of Papaver somniferum seed to grow for opium production. However, any strain of Papaver somniferum seed that is viable (will sprout and grow) can be used. Just buy Papaver somniferum seeds and try to raise a crop. If you are successful, you can start experimenting with different strains of Papaver somniferum to see what works best in the growing conditions available. When working with several different strains of Papaver somniferum at the same time, it is best to keep each strain in a separate area. In this way you can determine which type produces the most opium. Once you know what strain of Papaver somniferum is best for the available growing conditions, you can cultivate it alone, to produce the next years opium crop. Hen and chickens seed is so named because the plant produces a main pod surrounded by smaller pods. To some, this reminds them of a mother hen surrounded by her chicks. Plant The Opium Poppy SeedsOpium poppies prefer a cool climate over hot weather. In hot areas, they will do well in the mountains or places where it stays cool. They grow best in loose, well drained soil and don't do well in dense soil like clay. To ensure adequate drainage, grow on a slope so that water flows away from the plants. A night time drop in temperature of 20 degrees F or more is much better than a steady temperature through the day and night. This night time temperature drop is most important the first eight weeks of the plants life (during and after germination). The pH of the soil should be somewhere in the neutral range of about 7. Papaver somniferum has been grown in all the continental US by gardeners. Prior to 1942, it was grown commercially (primarily to be made into morphine) in several states. Germination is the start of the life cycle for the plant. The seed is placed in soil and supplied with moisture. If conditions are right and the seeds are good, they will germinate. For a small garden, the seeds can be germinated by dropping them in the intended location, spaced about 5 inches apart. Larger sized gardens will require a mechanical device to spread the seed. You can make a simple seed spreader by drilling holes in the bottom of an empty container that has been cleaned and dried (plastic milk jugs, tin cans, and similar items will work). Start with a small drill bit somewhere near 3/32 to 1/8 of an inch in diameter and drill several holes in the bottom of the container. Test the flow rate by putting the seeds in the container and shaking it over a place where the seeds can be collected (a piece of newspaper works well) after testing. To increase the flow rate of the seeds, you can either drill bigger and/or more holes in the bottom of the container. For best results with a large garden, get a broadcast spreader to more evenly spread the seed. During germination, night-time temperatures of 35 to 45 degrees F and day-time temperatures of 50 to 65 degrees F are best. For a maximum germination rate, the soil the seeds are surrounded by must be kept moist (not soaking wet) until the plant produces a main root (below ground so you can't see it) and leaves. When you see the first leaves, you know the plant has germinated properly and the root system has started to established itself. The opium poppy seeds are most vulnerable until the sprouts are a couple of inches tall. You can start the plants in late fall or early spring. If planted in the fall, they should be planted so they have time to grow a few inches before the first snowfall. They will lay dormant in the winter and start growing again the next spring. Some will probably die in the winter but enough should survive to produce a crop. Snow provides good insulation over the winter months. If all the plants die over the winter, the area you live in might be too extreme to start Papaver somniferum in the fall but you can try starting a new batch at the beginning of spring. If you live in an area that has mild winters (the temperature does not go below 32F), you can wait till mid-late december to start the plants. Starting the plants in fall-winter allows them to continue growing as soon as the weather heats up in spring. This means they will be able to harvest earlier than those started in spring. If you plant in spring, try planting as early as possible. Plant the seeds as soon as the last winter snow recedes. Starting opium poppies at the edge of melting snow is recommended. The water left by the melted snow will keep the ground moist and aid with germination. Poppies do not transplant well. If you have to germinate the plant anywhere other than where it will be grown, use something like peat cups so you can place the holder directly in the ground without touching the roots. As the root system has established itself, the ideal temperature is the same as it was during germination. Soil that is moist but not wet is preferred and 8-14 hours (12 is optimal) of sunlight per day. Some of the young plants may flop over and look like they are dying, but most of them will stand up and continue growing in a few days. This stage lasts 2 weeks or more, after which, the growth stage will start. As the plants grow, you will have to decide which are the healthiest and make sure they have 12 inches around them to grow. That means cutting down any other poppy plants within 12 inches of a healthy one. This thinning should take place when the plants are 4-6 inches tall. If the plants are crowded the harvest will be smaller than it would be if the plants were spaced properly. Crowding conditions will produce a low number of smaller sized flower heads. Under good growing conditions the plant will start a main stem that will branch into several stems. Each stem will produce a flower and then a seed pod (capsule) that can be scored to produce opium. Most plants produce 3-5 flower heads, with 7 or more reported by some growers. A single flower usually means the plants need more space. For optimal growth, seedlings like cow or chicken manure, when fertilizer is needed. As the plant grows, more nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium can be added in small quantities. A general purpose 20-10-20 fertilizer is good. As the plant matures it likes drier soil, longer days, and stronger sunlight than it did during earlier stages of growth. Just prior to and during flowering, warm daytime temperatures (68-75 degrees), cool nights (35-55 degrees), and dry conditions are preferred. After flowering, any rain or moisture will dilute the opium and make it less potent. Flowering starts about 8-12 weeks after germination. 16 or more hours of sunlight a day is optimal (but not always possible) when flowering. The important thing is that the plant gets lots of sunlight at this time. After flowering, petals will fall off the flower in 2 days to several weeks. When the petals fall off, the seed capsules develop. The capsule will be ready to harvest about 1-2 weeks after the petals fall off. Outdoors, the total time from germination to harvest will be about 120-140 days. Harvesting OpiumAfter the last petal has dropped, in most cases the opium will be ready to harvest in somewhere near 1-2 weeks. When to harvest will vary depending on the growing conditions. As it gets closer to optimal harvest time the seed capsule (pod) will start to look like it is taking on a dusty appearance. One sure sign that a plant is ready to harvest is if the seed capsule starts to release traces of opium, or if opium starts to build up in spots under the outer skin of the capsule. Other signs that indicate the opium is ready include the gray band at the top of the capsule where the petals were attached getting darker and the 'crown' of the capsule appearing to be pointing straight out or upwards. Harvesting means making shallow horizontal or vertical cuts to release opium from the seed capsule with a sharp blade (a razor blade or x-acto knife will work). The cuts should be less than one-sixteenth of an inch deep so they only slice into the first layer of the capsule. Do it all around the pod. As you do so, you will see little blobs of white coming out. Leave the wounds to release opium for 3-6 hours. Then collect your opium. By now, the white blobs will have turned into yellow/brown blobs that can be scraped off and collected on a blunt putty knife or something similar. 
There are better methods of making cuts so the amount of opium you get is maximized. Pages 47-51 of opium poppy garden, describe (using text and illustrations) how to harvest several yields of opium from the plant over the course of a month. The book also shows how to make simple tools (for making cuts, harvesting, and collecting opium) out of inexpensive items found in a hardware store or kitchen. Photos from the back cover of the book, showing the opium harvest process, are located here. After the opium is harvested, the easiest way to consume it is by eating or smoking it raw (no need to process it in any way). Try a quarter (1/4) gram or less on your first attempt to see how you respond to it. Remember, only consume opium once every four days to minimize addiction and tolerance problems. When an opium pipe is not available, you can break up the opium into very small pieces (about the size of grains of sand) and mix it thoroughly with some ground up marijuana (or tobacco if necessary), the mixture can be smoked in a joint. An opium-marijuana mixture will also work in a regular marijuana pipe with a screen. Although it may not be necessary, just to be safe I've always put the opium on top of the marijuana so it doesn't liquify and flow past the screen. A real opium pipe vaporizes (when used properly), rather than burns the opium. Notes On How To Grow OpiumThis really does work and opium poppies are fairly easy to grow. If you or someone you love take any kind of prescribed narcotic pain killer, you might not always have the ability to access a pharmacy in times of emergency. Raising opium poppies as a garden plant (or for poppy seeds) can be a rewarding gardening experience. Even if you don't produce any opium, you will know that you will be able to, if the need should arise. After you raise your first successful crop you can start experimenting with when to plant, pH levels, fertilizer and different strains of Papaver somniferum to see what works best in the growing conditions available. In some areas, knowing that the poppies you grow produce opium is illegal. If you are arrested for growing poppies, and you admit that you knew they could produce opium, the law might assume that you were growing them for the opium they produce. In other areas, once you start to scratch the seed capsules to produce opium, you become party to a conspiracy to manufacture narcotics. Not very smart, so be careful and understand laws that apply to you before growing Papaver somniferum in your community. As far as the conversion of opium to other types of pain medicine goes, you will need some practical chemistry experience and instructions. OXY by otto snow is probably the best choice of books for the chemist that wants to produce morphine, oxycodone, hydrocodone, or other opioid drugs from raw opium. copyright © www.a1b2c3.com/drugs/ Books Hydroponic Heroin:
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